School Savings Used For Salaries, Supplies

April 08, 1998|By STEPHANIE BRENOWITZ; Courant Staff Writer

ANDOVER — With savings from the breakup of a regional shared- services agreement, the board of education voted Tuesday night to fund the salary of a new principal/superintendent, add support staff, hire a new kindergarten teacher and outfit a classroom.

But the board did not address an informal request from the board of finance to trim about $80,000 from next year's proposed budget of $2.39 million, an increase of almost 4 percent over this year's budget.

``I feel that we need to fund our leadership and add a kindergarten teacher to meet our community's educational needs,'' board of education Chairwoman Joan Foran said earlier in the day. ``And what we have now is a much more efficient system.''

The board of finance's request would bring the budget back to last year's spending level, Foran said, but the need to support the new superintendent, Frank Olla, and to add a kindergarten section was greater.

The board hired Olla after it decided to pull out of the central office compact that allowed Andover, Hebron and Marlborough to share school administrative costs. The compact cost Andover $206,000 a year.

The board used the savings from the end of the compact to pay Olla's $85,000 salary and to hire additional staff for his office, for about $70,000. Other funds will be used to renovate the health room and pay the benefits of the additional staff. Exact figures for benefit costs were not available Tuesday from the compact, Foran said.

Because next year's kindergarten class will have 20 additional students, the board also approved $16,000 for a part-time kindergarten teacher and another $5,000 for supplies for an additional classroom. Some members of the finance board opposed this move, but Foran said the school is mandated to provide kindergarten.

The proposed budget will be taken to the board of finance at 7:30 tonight at the town hall.